


nothing makes me stronger (than your fragile heart)

by shxrogane (minsazucar)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, haggar's POV, mild blood & injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-02
Updated: 2017-08-02
Packaged: 2018-12-10 08:43:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11688099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minsazucar/pseuds/shxrogane
Summary: “Don’t touch me.” She hissed, breath stuttering.As much as Haggar admired the girl’s tenacity, it would all be for naught should that wound be her demise. The witch narrowed her eyes and leaned in further, not deterred in the slightest.“Youwilldie. Now hold still.”---Haggar and Allura get stranded on a planet and need to work together if they want to survive





	nothing makes me stronger (than your fragile heart)

**Author's Note:**

> written for the VLD Rarepair Exchange over on twitter! This is super late bc life is a bitch sometimes but _definitely_ better late than never.
> 
> this goes out to @blacklionshiro on tumblr, super sorry about the late gift ;-;

The canyon echoed with ragged breathing, the only sound to prove their survival. Somehow, they were still alive. A bit broken, but not defeated. Haggar turned her gaze away from the darkness, away from where those _creatures_ had retreated to, and lay her gaze on her temporary companion: Princess Allura of Altea. Her once enemy now turned tentative ally, all because of an explosion of magic so powerful it had nearly ripped them apart. Instead, it had simply just torn the two away from the ship on which they’d been battling and flung them to some dust pit planet to be devoured by reptilian monsters.

If nothing else though, Haggar was a survivor. As it turned out, so was the Altean princess it seemed, judging by how swiftly she’d swept aside their difference and fought by her side. Together, they’d managed to take down a number of beasts, enough so to drive the rest of the swarm back. Back into the inky shadows that loomed all around them. They were far from safe, but they could take this moment to breathe. 

Haggar spared another glance in Allura’s direction, eyes raking over her strewn floor where she lay in a slowly forming puddle of blood. The midsection of her flight suit, or what was left of it, was stained red, and Haggar recalled how one of the creatures had managed to snag the princess in its jaws; before Haggar hit it with an especially strong bolt of dark lightning, that is.

The princess had stood up and started fighting again so Haggar had assumed her injuries were minimal. Taking another look now she knew that was not the case. A begrudging sense of admiration buzzed under her skin, but she kept it in check as she slowly walked forward. Carefully, she reached out to the fallen princess, fingertips already crackling as she summoned a different type of magic. Allura’s eyes snapped open at that, piercing her with an icy glare.

“Don’t touch me.” She hissed, breath stuttering.

As much as Haggar admired the girl’s tenacity, it would all be for naught should that wound be her demise. The witch narrowed her eyes and leaned in further, not deterred in the slightest.

“You _will_ die. Now hold still.”

Allura groaned and made to struggle a bit, but soon settled down. Haggar guessed the pain in her abdominal was all that was keeping her still. That and a will to live, perhaps.

Haggar’s hands glowed to life after a few tries, fingers strumming with all the energy she had left. This was a different type of magic, one she had not summoned in countless years. This magic still carried a soft blue glow, so distinctly different from her black magic. With a deep breath of concentration, Haggar lowered her hands over the princess’ stomach, letting the blue light spread over the wounded area.

And then the screaming began. Whether the magic was light or dark was no matter, Altean healing capabilities had never been delicate. On a wound such as this, Allura was feeling her insides knit themselves back together, stitch by stitch. Nonetheless, Haggar growled and hovered over Allura’s face, stunning her into momentary silence.

“Quiet girl, lest those creatures return.”

Allura cursed under her breath, but complied, biting her lip and breathing harshly through her nose. Haggar hummed in approval and continued the healing process, letting the ancient technique flow through her. The princess deserved this much at least, for her valiant performance. Haggar wasn’t foolish enough to think she would have survived on her own. She begrudged to admit that she now owed her life to the princess. Haggar was not generous by nature, but she also did not like owing debts.

Allura saved her life this time, fighting with pure instinct and protecting both no matter the cost. It was as if she forgot who Haggar even was. Foolish girl. She’d always had a kind heart. And now, Haggar would do her right by that favor and save hers. Bleeding out after a battle was not a way to end this girl’s life. No, Haggar would get the chance to end Allura some other day, but not like this. There was no triumph in this.

Once the outer layer of skin finally closed up, Haggar moved her hands away from Allura’s trembling body. Rebellious tears leaked from her bright eyes as she caught her breath, still reeling from the pain most likely. Haggar would’ve scoffed, but she knew deep down it was an impressive feat to hold in so much pain. Haggar used the residual magic left in her body to heal herself, focusing on stopping as much bleeding as possible.

She watched with tired eyes as the princess caught her breath, blinking back what few tears had gathered in her eyes. Slowly, shaking hands moved to feel around her stomach, tracing over ripped fabric and bloody residue. But there was no gaping wound, no teeth punctures that threatened their survival anymore. Allura made to sit up and winced when pain overtook her once more. Haggar sighed and let her magic die out, leaving them cast in nothing but shadows.

“You are not fully healed, but you will not die.” Haggar explained as Allura prodded her sore torso.

The princess startled a bit at her voice, but nodded slowly in understanding.

“I… thank you.” It seemed to almost pain her to say that. Haggar felt like laughing.

“Come. We need higher ground.” Haggar stood up, not without effort, but Allura simply glared from her position on the ground. She scoffed. “My magic will hold your wounds together, but if you wish to get ripped apart by another beast, be my guest _Princess_.”

Haggar didn’t wait for a reply before setting off towards a cliffside. It didn’t take but a few seconds until she heard another pair of footsteps following her. Smart girl. Halfway up the canyon walls they discover a cave that they can fortify. In silent agreement, they begin to set about creating a temporary camp, scavenging the near-barren landscape for firewood and anything that might pass as food.

As the twin suns of this planet dipped past the horizon, the temperature plummeted almost instantly. By some miracle they’d found enough dried foliage to start a fire; whether or not their magic could sustain it through the night was yet to be seen. As the bundle of foliage flickered with purple flames, casting a hazy glow on the inhabitants of the cave, Haggar noticed the gleam of fresh blood on Allura’s abdomen. In their climb and search for shelter, the wounds must have reopened.

“Lay down.” 

Haggar’s voice was still as demanding as before, but some of the edge had chipped away. Allura narrowed her eyes but complied nonetheless. Haggar’s hands glowed to life, the blue sparks much softer than before, but the energy would be enough to patch her up. All through the healing session, Allura never moved her eyes from Haggar’s face, staring intensely as if her eyes alone could find a deeper truth under her skin.

“This is Altean magic.” Allura’s tone was hushed and just the slightest bit accusational.

“Yes.” Haggar confirmed; there was no use denying, now that the princess knew her origins.

There was another lapse into silence, before Allura spoke up again, in a much softer tone asking, “Were you a healer on Altea?”

Haggar didn’t let herself show any outward reaction besides a slight twitch in her fingers. She let her yellow eyes meet Allura’s clear blue and answered just as softly, “What I was does not matter now, does it?”

The silence between them became more permanent after that brief exchange. The healing finished rather quickly, most of the repair being surface level. They settled into sleeping spaces on opposite sides of the cave for the night, the crackling of artificial flames their only company. Haggar’s not sure how long they lay there, maybe only minutes, perhaps a few hours, but it felt like time had suspended itself as if waiting for Allura’s next words.

“I should kill you.” Her whisper was almost desperate, echoing sadly through the cavern.

“Perhaps you should. Although, I wonder if you could,” she replied after some thought.

“Your dark magic cannot stop me, _witch_.” Allura’s voice had regained its venom from earlier and Haggar couldn’t help but smile.

“I speak not of your ability, but your strength of will, _Princess_.” She couldn’t help but taunt her, knowing full well Allura could never stoop as low as to kill her right now.

It seemed they both had some morals on the matter. For now, they would sleep. They would fight and continue to survive, until someone found them. Be it Allura’s paladins or Haggar’s druids, they wouldn’t stay allies for very long. Haggar let her eyes fall shut and let sleep tug at her consciousness. After all these thousand millennia, she knew what would wait for her in her dreams.

A planet long lost, a civilization long destroyed. A field of fragrant flowers, a temple on a hill. A tiny princess, still free from war, eyes so different from the sharp ones she’d seen today. Eyes she’d never see again.

**Author's Note:**

> this dynamic was at first a struggle to try and write, but as i got more into it.......it became super interesting and now i've got this entire headcanon for what Haggar was on Altea before she became Zarkon's right hand lol
> 
> hmu on tumblr @fratboyshiro if u wanna know more lol


End file.
